I'll Be One Scotsman Backing England...
Says Andy Gray.
02/06/06

While some of his fellow countrymen are buying up Paraguay and Trinidad shirts, Andy Gray is wishing England well. And he fancies that a European team will do the business in Germany. But not the Germans...

I might be a proud Scotsman but I'll be supporting England during the World Cup - you certainly won't see me sitting there in a Paraguay shirt. I know a lot of these players, like a lot of these players, and will be hoping they do well in Germany.

And I think they have every chance - especially after being given what amounts to a bye into the second round with a very favourable group draw. Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago should cause no problems and Sweden are not the threat they once were.

Then there's likely to be Germany or Poland in the second round and I think either of those teams would be more afraid of England than England will be of them. And after that just about anything can happen, it's about luck and harnessing your potential on the day.

I have a feeling we're going to see a European winner this time around, though I don't think Germany have enough quality to do it on home soil. They'll do okay - most host nations do - but winning it? I don't think so.

Mind you, I thought they were as poor a side as any in Japan and Korea and they somehow fluked and bumbled their way to the final. They will be doubly determined at home, but I think a team with flair and flamboyance will win this World Cup, and there are a few of those around.

We won't get a Greece-style pragmatic team winning this tournament as we saw two years ago with Euro 2004, thankfully. With the Latin American and the African teams there, we'll see a far more exciting spectacle. There will be surprises along the way, but on July 9 I think we'll see two of the best teams in world football walking out for the final.

France would be dismissed at your peril, while Spain really must put it all together one year...surely. With the vast array of talent at their disposal, somewhere along the line they must manage to translate their promise into prizes. The Italians will be as difficult to beat as usual but you have to wonder where the goals are going to come from in this team...

Most people are looking at Brazil again, and purely on talent you would have to call them favourites. But with that tag comes all the pressure. The coach has got an enormous task on his hands in turning a galaxy of individuals into a team. Their squad is better than it was four years ago, but with that comes bigger egos and bigger problems.

Brazil can't play all their star players, and how does an Adriano feel if he is left on the bench? If they turn up and play with no fear and no pressure, you can't see anyone getting close to them. But if they don't...

I can't see any of the other South American teams posing a threat. I don't see a great deal to fear in an ageing Argentine side, so I'm definitely leaning towards a European winner. And despite being Scottish, hope that means England.

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